


Perfect Little Plus-Sign

by foolyoulove



Series: Domestic Bliss and Detours [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-09
Updated: 2012-07-18
Packaged: 2017-11-09 11:56:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/455165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foolyoulove/pseuds/foolyoulove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist... hero, friend, lover.  As Pepper sat on the bathroom counter with a plastic stick that taunted her with a perfectly formed little plus-sign in its window, she was suddenly forced to wonder how Tony Stark would feel about adding 'father' to the list."  Semi-fluffy Tony/Pepper, set a yet-undetermined time after the first fic in this series ("It Needed to be Said"), but definitely post-<i>Avengers</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first Tony/Pepper story--okay, it's the first fanfic I ever wrote that made it past my harddrive--and was originally posted on my LJ in May, 2012. My original brainstorm was very different, but the dialogue just took on a life of its own. I have some other fics that chronologically take place before and after this one that will end up being a series, but since I wrote this one first, I decided to go ahead and make it my first post to AO3. <3

~ ~ ~ ~

  
Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist... hero, friend, lover.  As Pepper sat on the bathroom counter with a plastic stick that taunted her with a perfectly formed little plus-sign in its window, she was suddenly forced to wonder how Tony Stark would feel about adding "father" to the list.  She managed to muster enough sense to pull out her phone and call her gynecologist for an appointment (who, blissfully, had an open cancellation that afternoon), though she remained sitting on the counter.  
  
She ended the call, and then spoke to the room.  "JARVIS?"  
  
"Yes, Miss Potts?"  
  
"Not a word about this test to anyone.  Including Tony.  Especially Tony."  
  
"Of course, Miss Potts.  You will tell Mr. Stark in person when he returns from business in London later this week."  
  
"No, I won't."  She wasn't sure why, but she felt an overwhelming need to process this on her own for the time being.  
  
"Miss Potts, given the nearly catastrophic results of withholding information in the past, I would advise that--"  
  
"JARVIS, you have your instructions."  She slid off the counter.  "Now, help me decide how to incinerate this stupid stick."  
  
"Very well."

~ ~ ~ ~

  
Pepper sat at her desk the next morning, wondering why she'd bothered to come into the office so distracted.  The previous day's appointment with her doctor had confirmed her home test.   
  
She and Tony were adults.  They were adults in a healthy, stable, adult relationship, all things considered.  They had even started to toe around the idea of getting married, but never discussed kids.  True, earlier in life she had always pictured herself as a mother, and a reasonably good one at that.  However, when your partner is someone who routinely puts on a self-made flying suit of armor to try to save everyone else first and then himself later (if time permits), a certain level of domestic stability is sacrificed.  She had accepted this life for herself, but how could she force it upon a tiny, defenseless, dependent--  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by an overwhelming urge to vomit, which she did into the wastebasket next to her desk.  She heard the Tony-only ringtone coming from her purse for about the fourth time since she'd woken up that morning, but she just let it ring as she sipped some water and waited for the nausea to pass.  Sending a silent thank you to the-powers-that-be for trash can liners, Pepper tied up the plastic bag to contain the acrid smell, then cued up her voicemail.  
  
 _"Hey Pepper, it's me again. I've been trying to call you all afternoon here since the meetings ended... I just called the house, and JARVIS said that your schedule was open and that you should be in your office, but that you were... uh... ill this morning.  Just wondering what's going on, since I'm guessing you weren't binge drinking at 6am, so, you know, call me back soon, okay?"_  
  
Tony was never terribly eloquent with his feelings, but she knew that was him saying he was worried sick about her, and she felt guilty for ignoring his calls.  She made a mental note to tell the AI that her symptoms were also not to be discussed with Tony, and dialed.  
  
"Pepper?"  
  
"Hi, Tony.  How's London today?"  
  
"You hate throwing up.  Why are you throwing up?"  
  
"I'm not throwing up.  I was just a little sick to my stomach when I got out of bed.  I had sushi last night; it must have been off."  All lies.  
  
"So you're okay now?"  
  
"Yes," she lied again as she started to feel another wave of nausea.  "Tell me about the meetings you had today."  She frantically tried to mute the phone's microphone and then unceremoniously heaved what little remained in her stomach into the wastebasket, suddenly regretting that she had already tied up the bag.  When she regained her composure and looked at her phone, she realized with embarrassment that the microphone was still live.  She rinsed her mouth, put the phone back to her ear, and cleared her throat.  
  
"That sushi must have really been awful," he said, skeptically.  
  
She sighed.  "I'll be fine."  
  
"You're sick, and nobody will be at home with you.  I can be back in time to tuck you in tonight."  
  
"Tony, don't be ridiculous.  JARVIS will watch out for me.  Besides, didn't you just send your jet to take Rhodey somewhere?  I forbid you from flying the suit across the Atlantic just because I have a stomach bug."  
  
"JARVIS can't hold your hair back for you."  
  
"No, but a rubberband can."  
  
"Much less romantic.  I could find a commercial flight home."  
  
"Would you even know how to behave on a commercial flight, Mr. Stark?"  
  
"Low blow, Potts."  
  
"You have work to do over there, and you only have one day left.  That should be your priority right now."  
  
"You're my priority."  
  
"I can take care of myself.  Stick to the schedule.  You'll be home soon enough, and by that time there won't be any risk of me spoiling any of your Armani."  
  
"Ms. Potts, you can spoil my Armani any--"  
  
"Bye, Tony."  
  
"I miss you, even if you're puking."  
  
She smirked.  "Bye, Tony."  
  
After she ended the call, she sat staring at the wall for a full minute, trying to decide what to tell him when he got home.

  


~ ~ ~ ~

  
It turned out that "what to tell him" was "nothing."  Pepper had silently prayed to every deity she'd ever heard of (except Loki) that she wouldn't have any nausea around Tony, and it had apparently worked.  She actually felt great when he arrived late the next night, and was relieved that he seemed to have accepted the sushi story.  The morning (and afternoon, and evening) sickness somehow managed only to emerge when Tony was deep asleep, or when she was alone in her office (she had taken to keeping a stash of extra bags near the wastebasket).  But suddenly over three weeks had passed since Tony came home, and Pepper still hadn't spoken to anyone about her pregnancy besides her doctor and JARVIS.  Tony, being rather well-versed in her anatomy, would start noticing changes sooner than later.  
  
Pepper couldn't quite figure out her reticence, herself.  Was she still in denial?  Was she afraid, and if so, of what?  That Tony would be upset?  That he'd take off?  She sat on the couch and stared, unfocused, at her half-eaten plate of dinner on the coffee table.  
  
"Do you want a glass?"  
  
"Hm?"   
  
"Earth to Pepper."  He waved a bottle of wine in front of her and she looked up.  "Do you want a glass?"  
  
"Oh, no thank you."  
  
"Hm."  He cocked his head and sat down.  "Not surprised."  
  
She felt a slight panic. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You haven't had a drop since I've been back from London.  I notice these things, Potts.  Why have you sworn off?  Are you sure 'bad sushi' wasn't code for 'bad tequila bender?' "  
  
"First off, no, I was not drunk or hung over.  Second, 'bad tequila bender' is redundant, since 'bad' is the only kind of tequila bender."  
  
"Touché."  He tipped the bottle in her direction.  
  
"Third, I'm pregnant."  She really had not intended to just come right out and say it, and so she imagined she looked almost as shocked as he did.  Almost.  
  
He blinked at her.  "Come again?"  
  
"I think that's what got me into this situation."  Deflecting a real, serious conversation with innuendo: she had learned from the master.  
  
"That's what got _you_...?"  He looked completely bewildered as he set the bottle down on the table.  "Pepper, I think this is definitely an 'us' situation."  
  
That was apparently all the reassurance she needed to let her walls down.  Her face crumpled, and she buried her face in her hands.  
  
"Hey, whoa, nonono," Tony babbled as he peeled her hands from her face and held them in her lap, trying to make eye contact.  "We're supposed to be happy, right?"  That triggered full-on sobbing.  "Wait, is there something I don't know about you and Happy?"  
  
She took a long sniff between hitching breaths. "You know there's no one but you."  
  
"And you know I was kidding about Happy.  How long have you been bottling this?"  
  
"Since you were in London. I... wondered, though, before that. I was... two weeks late when you left."  
  
He looked stricken.  "That trip was almost a month ago.  I thought we agreed to no more health-related secrets after the whole palladium... thing."  
  
"I'm sorry.  I was scared."  She knew that it sounded lame.  And she knew that JARVIS was probably feeling about as smug as an AI system could.  
  
"Scared like 'Holy shit, I'm growing a person' scared, or scared that I would flake out on you?"  
  
"Tony..."  
  
"Pepper.  Be honest."  
  
She sighed, starting to get her breathing under control.  "It's bad enough for Iron Man to have to look after a girlfriend, let alone an illegitimate ch--"  
  
" 'Illegitimate?'  Jesus, Pepper.  What is this, 1950?  I'm in this for the long haul, whether there's a piece of paper legally binding us or not."  
  
"But how long is 'the long haul' when Daddy is a superhero?  You wrangle nuclear warheads into outer space and chase down bad guys with assassins and mutants, at least when you bother to call for backup.  _And_ , that's just on your free time.  During business hours, people know who you are and what you are, _and_ you were already a celebrity before that.  You might as well have a bull's eye on every side of your head, and I'm terrified about about bringing a baby into--Tony, are you listening?"  
  
He had a slightly stupid look on his face.  "I, um... you lost me a little bit after 'Daddy.' "  
  
She tried to be mad, but couldn't.  She started laughing hysterically instead.  
  
Tony really looked concerned, then.  "Please tell me this is hormones.  I'd really like for our progeny to be able to count on your sanity, since mine has historically been debatable."  
  
She managed to calm herself down, and stared at their hands in her lap. "Tony, let's be serious.  Your--our--life is dangerous.  A baby is a bad idea.  The worst idea."  
  
He hesitated.  "Are you considering, you know, not going through with--"  
  
She shook her head.  "I did think about it, but no."  
  
He brought a hand up to cradle her face and wiped some stray tears away with his thumb. "Well, we've managed some really extraordinarily bad ideas before, so we'll figure it out... later.  Let's just... _be_ for a minute, okay?  I mean, holy shit, Pepper, you're growing a person."  
  
She gave him a watery smile, and he kissed her softly.  She curled into his side as one of his hands settled protectively over her abdomen--an unspoken promise that he would try his best, for both of them.  
  
"Hey, Pepper?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"You deserve way more than twelve percent of the credit for this one."  
  
She laughed, just a little.  "Thanks, Tony."

 

~ ~ ~ ~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Pepper wasn't holding out hope that _What to Expect when You're Expecting with a Superhero_ would be hitting bookshelves any time soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be the first chapter of a sequel fic that will overall be quite a bit darker, but the banter-y tone ended up fitting much better as a second chapter here.  
> I don't own these characters, of course, but I have so much fun playing with them.

~ ~ ~ ~

Pepper had braced herself for resistance or even resentment from Tony when she revealed that she was pregnant, but had encountered nothing of the sort.  Aside from the obvious shock, he had actually been kind of sweet; she supposed she should have guessed that Tony would be excited about passing on his legacy in such a literal way.  They'd still need to have a difficult conversation (or many) about how this was actually going to work in a day-to-day practical sense, but she was willing to just go with the moment for a while.  They remained curled up in a mostly comfortable silence on the couch, until Tony suddenly spoke.  
  
"How did this happen?  I mean, you were..."  
  
"Even with absolutely perfect use, the Pill is only 99.7% effective."  She'd been prepared for that one.

"Huh.  Well, I guess I always knew we were extraordinary people, though I'm still pretty impressed that my swimmers are that resolute after all the weird shit my body's been through.  But... I think I might suck at this.  In case you hadn't heard, my paternal role models left a little something to be desired."  
  
Pepper was acutely aware of Tony's strained relationship with his father and was cautiously optimistic that he would do better.  At the very least, he'd be better than the homicidal megalomaniac surrogate he got after his parents died.  "You made yourself into a superhero.  I'm sure you can make yourself into a decent parent."   
  
He puffed air out of his cheeks.  "I gotta say, right now, the superhero thing sounds way less intimidating in comparison."  
  
She sighed.  "Okay, you're cocky, and you get obsessed with projects at the expense of yourself and others, and sometimes you're just plain mean, yes.  But even though your apple didn't fall far from your dad's tree, you've been trying pretty hard recently to keep rolling away from it."  
  
"It's cute when you come up with clumsy metaphors, so I'll let you slide for calling me 'mean.'   But you're sure you're not going to realize that I'm lousy daddy material and run away with Captain America?"   
  
Pepper saw straight through the joking tone to the insecurity behind it--they were great together, but Tony sometimes still seemed to think that he was going to wake up one morning and find that everyone he cared about had decided he was still just an alcoholic playboy who wasn't worth their time.  "I wouldn't still be here if I wasn't sure about you.  Besides, he's not my type."  
  
"Which is...?"  
  
"Short, dark, and handsome billionaire geniuses."  
  
"Short?"  
  
"Ego check," Pepper intoned sweetly; he pinched her hip in response.  
  
"So, speaking of Rogers... do I have to keep this a secret from everybody?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"For how long?"  
  
"I'm not sure.  As long as we can hide it, I guess."  She was never going to be quite as comfortable in the spotlight as Tony, so she was hoping she could convince him to refrain from shouting the news from the rooftops--figuratively and literally.  "I'm nauseous enough as it is without having to worry about the press."  
  
"Hm."  He paused.  "Compromise?"  She sighed, and motioned for him to continue.  "Happy.  You're around each other a lot and I want him watching out for you more than usual.  We can count on his discretion."  
  
"Okay, but that's it."  
  
"But, what about Uncle Rhodey?"  
  
"Fine."   
  
"And the team."  
  
"No," she said, firmly.  
  
" _Earth's mightiest heroes_ , Pepper.  You deserve all hands on deck if--if I'm not around."  
  
She conceded that he had a point, though she chose not to read too much into reasons that he might not be around.  Pepper took a minute to consider whom she knew well enough from the rarely-merry band of heroes to trust with a secret.  "Natasha and Bruce, only.  And no one breathes a word of anything to Fury."  She didn't want that man or anyone like him knowing anything about the goings-on of her uterus.  
  
" 'No Fury' goes without saying.  Bruce though, you know I like him, but when he... you know... he's not exactly known for being gentle on _buildings_ during stressful situations, so I'm not sure how he'd handle a lady in a delicate condition."  
  
"Okay, then Steve."  
  
"Good idea.  He'll be so embarrassed by the knowledge of our unwedded relations that he won't want to tell anyone."  
  
She ignored the jab at Steve's antiquity.  "Then that's settled.  Happy, Rhodey, Natasha, and Steve."  
  
"And Bruce.  We just established that we both like Bruce," Tony said.  
  
Pepper made an exasperated noise, and stopped herself from sarcastically suggesting that at that rate, they might as well tell the rest of the Avengers, because Tony might have interpreted that as an invitation.  "Fine.  How did you talk me from zero people to five?  You're... you're... exhausting."  She actually didn't mind it that much--she was just relieved that he hadn't freaked out.  
  
He grinned.  "I love you, too."   
  
She rolled her eyes and stood up, tugging on his hand.  "I actually am tired.  Come to bed?"  
  
"Sure." He followed her off the couch and they walked in silence for a few moments until Tony's mouth caught up with his brain.  "Wait, are we actually going to sleep, or are you going to be one of those insatiably horny pregnant women?  Because I would treat it as my sacred duty to thoroughly address all of your needs," he said as they entered the bedroom.  He apparently gathered that she wasn't going to respond to that, and moved on.  "You're going to stop wearing stilettos, right?"  
  
She stopped at the foot of the bed, facing him with her hands on her hips.  "What?"  
  
"I mean, don't get me wrong, I definitely appreciate your traffic-stopping legs in those things, despite how emasculatingly tall you get, but I'm worried about you tripping."  
  
She tsk'ed.  "I've managed some pretty extreme situations in heels.  I'm not planning to abandon my fashion sense--"    
  
"Safety first, Potts," he said with a pointed finger.  
  
"--until there's been a significant shift in my center of gravity," she finished.  
  
"Ooh, it's hot when you talk physics.  I mean, you're hot in general.  Hot and pregnant."  The finger that was in her face a moment before was now dragging distractingly down her arm.  "You're even hotter pregnant."  
  
She rolled her eyes.  "Did I look any different before I told you?"    
  
"Well, just knowing that I did this to you is plenty."  He took a step closer and put his hand at the small of her back, pulling their hips together.  "You know, caveman stuff."  
  
  "Okay, Iron Dad."  She knew it was probably a mistake to positively reinforce the swagger, but then they were kissing, and then he was lowering her onto the bed with a tenderness that she'd never quite seen before and, well... anyway, it wasn't like he could get her _more_ pregnant.

~ ~ ~ ~

Pepper awoke the next morning very naked and very nauseous, but for the first time, she didn't bother to hide the latter from Tony.  She ran for the toilet, slamming the bathroom door behind her.  

Half a minute later, she heard a knock and Tony's muffled voice from the other side of the door.  "Pepper?  I'm coming in."

She took a few shallow breaths.  "I'm a little indisposed at the moment."  She realized immediately that talking was a mistake as she heaved, then flushed the toilet when the door opened a moment later.

"Can I do anything for you?"

"Go away," she croaked.

"No problem."  He backed out, leaving the door ajar.

She felt less nauseous, but remained with her chin on her forearm on the edge of the toilet, seething that Tony would actually choose to _listen_ at a moment like this.

A brief time later, though, he was back.  "Would any of this help?"

Pepper glanced up to see Tony's arms laden impressively with a bathrobe, a glass of water, a can of ginger ale, a bottle of Gatorade, and a box of crackers.  "I'll take the water."  He handed it to her and she sipped, tentatively.  "And I guess I am a little cold."

"Ah, sitting naked on the floor hugging the porcelain throne will do that.  Trust me."  He set the rest of his supplies on the floor and draped the robe around her shoulders.  

"Thank you."

"Yeah well, all my fault and everything," he said as he sat down with her.  "So, how much does this happen?  In general, I mean.  Not necessarily while naked."

"Basically every day.  Sometimes two or three times."

Tony snatched back the glass of water and handed her the Gatorade with a frown.  "Calories."

"I've been getting plenty, I promise.  I usually just wait until a little later in the day."

"How did I not notice?"

"Well, I had a few days to get used to this while you were still in London, but mostly, I wasn't ready for you to know."

"Then we have truly rubbed off on each other in the worst ways, Ms. Potts," he said, rearranging her robe for her as she cracked open the Gatorade with a soft smile.

So, it was clear from the start, and over the following weeks, that Tony was trying incredibly hard in his own way to do right by her without betraying his image too much.  There was the time that she discovered that Tony had JARVIS reading _What to Expect When You're Expecting_ to him in the shop; he declared it "quite possibly the most cliché title _ever_ , but it seemed as good a place as any to start" before calling JARVIS a traitor for not warning him she was coming.  She wondered how Tony always seemed to know that she was sick in the house; it wasn't long before she figured out that he'd asked JARVIS to alert him so that he could check on her.  And she'd been annoyed when Tony insisted on accompanying her to her next OB appointment, despite her insistence that it wasn't necessary and that she had a hard enough time staying incognito _alone_ in public; she decided the back-door entrances and other subterfuge were worth it when she stole a glance at his face during the sonogram and saw something akin to reverence.  In the car afterwards, Tony claimed that the room must have been very dusty--there was obviously no other reason for him to have two watery eyes and the sniffles all at once.

Basically, impending parenthood with Tony Stark was going better than Pepper had anticipated, despite the fact that time was continuing to tick by without a substantial conversation on how life was supposed to work once they were responsible for the upbringing of another human being.  As she sat on the couch with her feet in Tony's lap while he massaged them--a new nightly routine that made her wonder, wryly, why she hadn't let Tony knock her up _years_ ago--she silently pondered some of those questions.  How exactly was someone with demonstrated abilities to avert mass destruction supposed to find an appropriate work-family balance?  She felt selfish, but still resented that Tony might miss first steps, first words, or any other number of milestones (if they all made it that far without being killed) because he was off being Iron Man, saving lives for the benefit of _other_ families.  Would their child end up resenting Tony as much as he seemed to resent his own dad, even if for different reasons?  Pepper wasn't holding out hope that _What to Expect when You're Expecting with a Superhero_ would be hitting bookshelves any time soon, but she knew they'd figure it out eventually.  Together.

~ ~ ~ ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me something to look forward to in my inbox when I get home from my day job--squees, concrit, whatever--any feedback is good feedback as long as you're not a flamer troll! ;)
> 
> Please stay tuned for more in this series... I'm trying to keep plugging away at writing, but said day job is more like a day-and-evening job at the moment. *eyeroll*


End file.
